…Goodreads Giveaways. I choose an ebook giveaway because it’s easier. The standard package is $119. I’ve heard that the premium package isn’t really worth the additional cost.
The Goodreads Giveaway gives your ebook to 100 people. The pro with Goodreads is that in my case over 500 users put my book on their to read list. And the program encourages people to leave a review.
The con is this was the most expensive option. It basically cost me $1.19 for every person who received my book.
Next up was Bookbub. The con is you really need to know your target audience, which is a good thing to know. But it’s very important for a Bookbub ad. The pro was my first ad with them was very cost efficient. For $37 I had over 400 downloads. Basically I paid .09¢ per download.
Then there was BookRaid. For $60 I received 431 downloads. That comes to .14¢ per download. The con for this one was both the price and the cost per download turned out to be the second highest, right after Goodreads.
The next one was the lowest with the best return on investment. Book Rebel cost me $9 and I had 180 downloads. The con for this is if your going for a lot of reviews, you need a lot more reads. If 180 download a book, let’s figure about 50% of those people will read it in the six months. Out of that 90, maybe 30% will leave a review. So that’s 30 possible reviews. And that’s if all the stars align, but I’d definitely suggest them as your first stop to consider. Book Rebel.
Next I tried out Hello Books. I think their prices have gone up but I think they’re getting a larger list of readers. When I tried them, I paid $25 and received 320 downloads. That was .08¢ per download, so it was a good ROI.
The next two are great if you’re good with spending more money to get a lot more downloads.
For FreeBooksy I paid $100 and had 1400 downloads.
Fussy Librarian I paid $75 and had almost 1400 downloads It was a tie for the best return on investment. But I like this because I had way more downloads. That’s a lot more chances for reads and reviews.
Keep in mind that your results are going to vary, depending on your genre, the ad you create (if you can create an ad), you cover, and your blurb. And most of these newsletters require your book to be free or for .99¢,
If you’re interested in working with a community of authors on this process, I have a challenge coming up in October. And, Fussy Librarian has offered a discount to students.
If you want a link to the class or you to see the list of programs with cost and roe as well as links to each, check out the show notes at womensthrillerwriters dot com under podcast.
So the best ROIs are Book Rebel and Fussy Librarian.
Show Notes:
Goodreads – $119 for 100 readers to get your ebook for free. $1.19 spent for every download.
BookBub – $37 for 400 downloads. .09¢ per download.
BookRaid – For $60 I received 431 downloads. That comes to .14¢ per download.
Book Rebel – It cost me $9 and I had 180 downloads. .05¢ per download.
Hello Books – I spent $25 and received 320 downloads. That was .08¢ per download.
Freebooksy – I paid $100 and had 1400 downloads. That’s .07¢ per download.
Fussy Librarian – I paid $75 and had almost 1400 downloads. That’s .05¢ per download.